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McGee says recovery is complete

Buffalo Bills cornerback Terrence McGee said Monday he is healthy and fully recovered from the nerve problem in his leg that derailed his season.

McGee suffered the injury in the Bills' third game. He had surgery to correct the problem that was affecting the upper part of the back of his knee. He missed the next five games, played two, missed two more, then saw only spot duty the last four games.

"As far as the nerve problem, it's gone away," McGee said. "I really just need to get the strength back in my leg, because they really weren't letting me do leg workouts. The whole year I really wasn't getting leg strength and I really wasn't in game shape because I never really played a whole game after the third game.

"I just need to get the strength back up in my leg and I'll be all right.

"There was a point where I was thinking maybe I shouldn't have had the surgery because I wasn't getting any results, but now I don't even feel it anymore," McGee said.

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The Bills will get the second pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft, which is a coveted position. Because the NFL conducts the second and third rounds of the draft the day after the first round, teams have more time to reassess their draft board and think about trading up toward the top of the second round.

Carolina (2-14) finished with the worst record in the league and will pick first. The Bills, Broncos and Bengals all finished at 4-12. The strength of schedule for the 4-12 teams was: Broncos .516, Bills .578, Bengals .582. That's the reason Denver will pick second overall, Buffalo third and Cincinnati fourth.

However, teams with the same record rotate their draft order in ensuing rounds.

So Buffalo moves ahead of Denver in the second round and into the 34th overall position. In the third round, Cincinnati goes first among the three. The Bills have one extra draft pick -- a fourth-rounder from Seattle via the Marshawn Lynch trade.

The Bills played the second-hardest schedule in the NFL, based on the won-lost records of their opponents. Only Cincinnati's was tougher. Kansas City played the easiest schedule. The Chiefs' foes combined for a .414 win percentage.

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The beard bit the dust Monday.

Ryan Fitzpatrick finally shaved the scruffy, thick beard he had been cultivating all season. He went to a barbershop owned by the uncle of Bills safety Jon Corto at midday to get it removed.

"It's coming off, I'm not going to think twice about it," Fitzpatrick told reporters Monday morning. Asked if his wife, Liza, was going to be involved in the removal, Fitzpatrick said: "No, but if I was going to wait until after Monday she was going to get involved."

Regarding the knee injury that kept him out of the season finale, Fitzpatrick said: "As of now it's going to be just rest and no surgery."